Pages

Sunday, 27 July 2014

Ah, the Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray. The texturising wonder that took both the blogging and YouTube worlds by storm a few years ago. I remember watching Bethany Mota, the first 'beauty guru' I ever saw, and she raved about this in a poolside video. Since then, it's been on my hit list, but I refused to spend so much money on something that may not work, just as the rest of the kind haven't on my hair. However, in Boots in the clearance, I found a mini bottle for £1.50 instead of the usual £9.50. You can bet I sprinted to the tills with this absolute steal of a buy.

I can safely say that out of every salt sprat I've tried (and there has been many), this works the best for me. It adds a little gritty texture and messiness, which is just what I want. My hair can be frustrating sometimes as it is practically poker straight with a fantastic Balamory flick at the ends (anyone know what I mean?), and although this doesn't change that dramatically, it makes it look somehow good. A bit more volumised and messy - it's a winner.

Will I purchase the full size? I'm not sure, but I do know I'll use up every last spritz of this summer savour product.

Friday, 25 July 2014

Since it's pretty much summer now, white is so on trend. It's been a colour/shade (I really don't know which) that I've ignored in the past, but this year I've fallen head over heels for tops of the kind. I've gathered five I would call key pieces, so I thought I'd do a post on them, with the help of Lauren as photographer. I've tried to link every piece I could find online.

1. The Classy Racer Front - River Island, £16.00
This was one of the first tops that began my obsession, and it really is a staple item. Sometimes a plain white vest an be boring, but this is a bit more interesting as it is slightly textured and has a very flattering neck line. The only issue is that a strapless bra is needed, which I find so uncomfortable. While we are on the subject, can anyone recommend the best place to buy a strapless bra?!

2. The Floral Textured - River Island, £15.00
I purchased this one quite a while ago now and I can't seem to find a link, but it is a beautiful piece to add to your collection. If white tops seem a bit boring for your liking, this one is perfect as it offers a subtle floral print too. I love to wear this with just simple jeans and a chain necklace, for something very simple and light.

3. The Boxy Shirt - H&M, £12.99
This is such classic item I'm sure most of you own already - the white shirt. Admittedly. I would have preferred to have a long oversized one, but they never suit me and make me look like I'm fresh out of the office. Plus, this one is a little more summer friendly being incredibly light and a tad cropped.

4. The 90s Crop - Miss Selfridge, £8.00
This one is definitely favourite. I love the neckline, and it's so versatile. I especially love it with mom shorts and a kimono, or mom jeans for that matter. I also thought it was a decent price for Miss Selfridge, as usually I associate the store to be quite overpriced. They also do this style in black, which I may have to get when I next come past a shop.

5. The V Neck - River Island, £15.00
Lastly, the most staple white piece of them all - the v neck. I must wear this at least twice a week, because it's just so simple and goes with EVERYTHING. This River Island one is very soft, although I do have my eye on some from H&M because having just one v neck isn't enough. I want to live in these tops!

Monday, 21 July 2014

First things first (who else thinks of Iggy Azalea when someone says that?) I must explain my absence. Well, there isn't really much explaining I can do. I've been incredibly lazy these last few weeks with posting, and I feel awful about it. Anyway, the summer holidays are how here and I have all the time in the world to get my blogging game up to speed again. Enjoy!

Whilst in Madrid, as you would have seen in my last post, I popped into Sephora. One my few purchases was this mini size of the Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover, which was less than 3 euros I'm sure. I'm a total convert to these bi-phase removers, with the Nivea one being my favourite. Therefore, I was very excited to try this and I'm certainly not disappointed.

This is very similar to the Nivea eye makeup remover, in that it does the job speedily and doesn't sting the eyes at all. I use the smallest amount on a cotton pad, hold over my lid for about 10 seconds and then wipe away. I repeat this, until everything is gone. I never used to use a separate eye makeup remover, but now I do I can't believe I avoided them for such a long time. They're so handy, especially if you're a waterproof mascara wearer.

If I could repurchase this easily, I certainly would. However, it seems I'm sticking with Nivea though as I'm not going to order from the USA simply for this. Nonetheless, a fantastic product worth a try!

Thursday, 10 July 2014

As you probably know, last week I spent some time in Madrid, with Lauren. Of course shopping was involved, so here's the beauty half of this 'holiday haul'.

Before I jetted off, I stocked up on the essentials, which includes the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, the Barry M Blink Eyeliner Pen and there was a deal on where this Collection Mardi Gras Lip Balm was free. The first two productions just mentioned are holy grail for me, so I had to restock as I was running low on both of them - and I refused to be stranded in Spain without them.

In Spain, there was a Sephora, so me and Lauren experienced our first together (#bestfriendgoals). The staff were lovely, and the shop was heaven. I would have purchased more but most things worked out cheaper in England, so I thought I'd just save some of my money and get whatever I wanted over here. However, I did have a browse of the Sephora's own range and purchased the Softening Face Mist and the Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover. Both of them I got in the smallest sizes, but they were only a couple of euros each so I thought I'd just give them a whirl. There was also a clearance of Nails Inc polishes, and I managed to find Porchester Square for 6 euro - bargain! I know it's an Anna fav, so of course I got it and I'm wearing it now. Review will be coming soon, it's beautiful.

The Zara Cherry perfume was 4.99 euro in the sale, which I could not ignore. I love Apple Juice, so Cherry was a welcome addition too. Furthermore, whilst I was in Bershka I came across these pineapple nail wraps. They were 2.99 euro and I literally could not leave them. I mean, come on. They're PINEAPPLES.

Lastly for the odds and sods was this pair of Eyelash Curlers from Tyger. They were 2 euro and although rather rubbish, do the job alright I suppose. I'm just glad to have a pair again after my Primark ones broke.

Thursday, 3 July 2014

If you ask me, I'm not normally one for set routines. I like to mix up what I use and when I use it, but recently I seem to have gained a small squad of products to see me through my day to day life, which is really unusual in my books. Anyway - here's my everyday summer makeup routine.

Before I start getting to work, I pop on some Smashbox Photofinish Foundation Primer. We've had a rough past together, but now I'm putting it to good use and adoring the smoothness it gives.
For the base, I've managed to live without foundation and I'm loving life in the concealer lane. Seriously, I haven't even packed any for my Spain trip! The predictable choice for blemishes is obviously the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. I'll cut you the rambles here, because you all know it's the best concealer in the drugstore for me. I just whack this on my cheeks, give it a buff and hey presto. Then for under my eyes, I've been enjoying the Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener. It's a bit pale for me, but boy does it do a brilliant job on my pesky dark circles. To fix the colour mismatch, I have recruited the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer to wham-bam everywhere. Well, under my eyes and on my cheeks anyway. It gives such a lovely glow, and a tad extra coverage and longevity.

So now I've evened everything and gained a touch more life, I pop on some Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder on my temples and cheeks, with the usual Real Techniques Blush Brush. It warms the face very subtly, as it isn't very pigmented, so this means it's hard to make a mistake with. For blush (with a smaller, more dense brush), I apply the Mac Mineralize Blush in Autoerotique to the very tops of my cheek bones. It is possibly the prettiest blush I've ever seen, in both the pan and on the cheeks. Ugh - too gorgeous.

I like to keep everything looking fresh, so for the eyes it's simply Max Factor Clump Defy for the top lashes and a bit of Avon Super Extend Eye Accents Mascara in Black Topaz on the bottom. It's a little less harsh than black, but still adds loads of length and definition. The only other thing I do to my eyes is highlight the inner corner, with the Urban Decay Venus shade in the Naked Basics Palette. Then lastly for brows, a bit of clear mascara is swept through them to keep all those hairs in place. I also forgot to picture it (#badblogger).

Tuesday, 1 July 2014

The other day in a very spur-of-the-moment Boots trip, I found myself walking out with the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. (When I saw 'walking out', I did actually pay haha). It's been an item I've wanted to try for a while now, so I had high expectations.

When I got this out of the packet, the first thing I noticed was the size. It's much smaller than I anticipated, but later I did realise that with a bit of water, it almost doubles and becomes less dense - my kind of sponge.

The shape seems the thing that makes this sponge so special, as there is three areas to chose from. These include the pointed tip (great for the crevices of the face), the flat edge (good for under the eyes especially) and the curved section (I prefer to use this to cover large areas quickly).

So, considering everything; I should adore this sponge. But... the problem is I don't. I thought we'd click straight away and become best base friends, but I certainly favour my Expert Face Brush over it. Don't get me wrong - it's a good sponge, but I just prefer to buff away quickly instead of tediously tap at small spaces. Maybe that's just me.

If you are willing to put the extra time in, the finish is darn pretty. However, for me in the mornings when I'm rushing out of the door... nah. I think I'll save it for the weekends.